A Respectable Woman

A Respectable Woman: Short story by Kate ChopinKate Chopin’s ‘respectable woman’ is happily married and looking forward to spending quality time with her husband. She is so disappointed when he invites an old school friend to visit that she decides to be polite but not friendly towards him. At first, the two barely communicate. However, there is a growing chemistry between them. This disturbs the woman, who finds an excuse to visit an Aunt for the remainder of his stay. When the woman learns the man will visit again, she tells her husband: I have overcome everything! Overcome what? Does she plan to remain a ‘respectable woman’?

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The Necessary Grace to Fall

The Necessary Grace to Fall: Short story by Gina OchsnerIn this story by Gina Ochsner, an investigative assistant in the claims department of a life insurance company finds himself bored by both the routine of the job and his marriage. He compensates by taking a morbid interest in the unusual causes of death he encounters, and becomes obsessed with learning more about a woman from his childhood neighborhood who jumped/fell from a bridge. While sitting on a ledge of the same bridge trying to imagine her motivation and feelings, he has an epiphany that may change his life. Themes include alienation, guilt, death, suicide, obsession, redemption, hope.

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A Chip of Glass Ruby

A Chip of Glass Ruby: Short story by Nadine GordimerSome people see this Nadine Gordimer story as primarily an anti-apartheid tale. For me, the main theme is exemplified in Yusuf’s “aha moment” when he finally understands why his wife is not like the others. Gordimer shows apartheid for what it is by contrasting those behind it with an extra-ordinary, ordinary woman who doesn’t want anybody to be left out (people without somewhere to live, hungry kids, boys who can’t get educated) and cares enough to put herself at risk by doing something about it. The absence of a denouement in the story suggests that her fight isn’t yet over.

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The Holiday

The Holiday: Short story by Lily BrettThis chapter from Lily Brett’s book Things Could Be Worse describes how several Jewish migrant couples meet at an inexpensive Australian holiday resort in 1950 and form a close-knit group that holidays together over the next thirty-two years. Despite their growing prosperity, they are still haunted by memories of the past. The group breaks up when a meddling member has a photograph taken that suggests the husband of one couple is having an affair with the wife of another. As couples take sides, relationships are destroyed for both members and their children. Themes include assimilation, friendship, memories, “Jewishness”, gossip-mongering, aging.

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Strawberry Spring

Strawberry Spring: Short story by Stephen KingIn this story by Stephen King, a serial killer stalks women in a small college community. The murders, which always take place at night, become increasingly vicious. Set in a rare false (strawberry) spring, thick fog provides perfect cover for the killer. Panic sets in as students realize the killer could be anyone on campus. When the weather breaks, the murders stop. Eight years later, during the next strawberry spring, they begin anew and, in a memorable twist, the narrator thinks he knows the identity of the killer. Themes include violence, fear, rumor and paranoia, confusion, memory, dissociation.

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Be-ers and Doers

Be-ers and Doers: Short story by Budge WilsonIn this coming-of-age story by Budge Wilson, a woman looks back on her life and the relationship between her mother and younger brother. The mother is a “do-er”, someone driven by success and always on the go. Her father and brother are “be-ers”, people who are more laid back and take time out to savour the world around them. The boy rebels after years of pressure from his mother to make something of himself, ultimately living a simple, secluded life as a part-time writer and poet. Themes include identity, family, parental pressure, acceptance (of individual differences), self-realization, courage.

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A Woman on the Roof

A Woman on the Roof: Short story by Doris LessingIn this story by Doris Lessing, three construction workers repairing the roof of an apartment building become obsessed by a woman who sunbathes in a bikini on a nearby rooftop. The three make demeaning catcalls and become increasingly frustrated as the woman constantly ignores them. Two are enraged by her indifference while the third, seventeen and inexperienced, develops romantic fantasies about the woman. When the younger one decides to “make her acquaintance” and learns that his feelings are not reciprocated, his passion morphs into hatred. Themes include lust, objectification of women, sexual harassment, gender roles, social class, group dynamics.

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Short story by Washington IrvingThe central character of this story by Washington Irving is a greedy city schoolmaster who moves to a school in a sleepy country town and sets about getting rich by marrying the daughter of a wealthy landowner. The teacher’s proposal is rejected, and he disappears one night after being chased by the “ghost” of a headless horseman. Major themes include storytelling (tall-tales), superstition, greed (Ichabod), fickleness (Katrina), ambiguity (in relation to both the horseman’s identity and Ichabod’s fate), and city vs. country perceptions (conniving sophistication vs. integrity and practicality).

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